NZRC-001 Duke
The NZRC-001 Duke (aka Duke) is the mobile suit designed and built for the New Zealand Resistance Corps (NZRC) by Professor Alton Knight and his son Artemis (who would become the Duke's pilot). The suit first appeared during the A-LAWS' assault on the NZRC main base at the start of Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Resistance. Technology & Combat Characteristics As the superiority of the GN-powered mobile suits fielded by both the A-LAWS and the regular Federation forces quickly became apparent, the New Zealand Resistance Corps realised the urgent need for a mobile suit with capabilities similar to those of the Federation's GNX-609T GN-XIII and GNX-704T Ahead. To this end, the NZRC contracted Professor Alton Knight to design the new suit and supervise its rapid construction. Early in the design process, Professor Alton realised that there was no conceivable way to give the suit the same capabilities as the Federation machines using conventional power sources. He insisted that a GN Drive Tau was the only option. Accordingly, the NZRC was able to stage an ambush which resulted in the capture of a lone GN-XIII. The suit's GN Drive Tau was removed and the suit destroyed, keeping the plan a secret from the A-LAWS. Surprisingly, although Professor Alton had no access to any of Celestial Being's mobile suit data, the Duke shares many similarities with GN-001 Gundam Exia and the other suits in its lineage. The Duke was envisioned as a high-speed, high-mobility mobile suit to greatly supplement its intended cloce-combat role. In order to maximize its potential in speed and movement, its legs and arms were given the best human articulation as possible to improve its Active Mass Balance Auto-Control (AMBAC). The trade-off is the reduction of armor parts in several joints that reveal its internal frame; its MS frame is more vulnerable against enemy attacks. This is compensated for by the Duke's high-mobility and by Artemis Knight's piloting skills. To facilitate high-speed and high-mobility, the Duke has more thrusters than most mobile suits; a single main back thruster, thrusters on both legs, and the High-Output Auxiliary Back Thrusters housed in the upper torso. These thrusters enable the Duke to change direction much quicker than most other mobile suits of its time. The suit typically generates around 15-20G when manoeuvring, even with an anti-g system installed. As a result, the Duke is easily able to gain the upperhand when it comes to clos-combat. In a revolutionary move, the Duke's weapons are all concealed within its armour and dispersed across its frame. This often led to the Federation pilots, and later the Innovators, to dismiss the suit as no threat, only to be caught off guard when the Duke revealed its hidden weapons. Armaments ;*GN Particle Beam Sword :The sword is comprised of two separate handle pieces which are stored in the armour on each thigh. The two halves join together to emit a blade similar to the one used by the GNX-704T/AC Ahead Sakigake. To allow the sword to penetrate GN Fields, the Duke is able to super-condense the particles which comprise the blade, which means that the sword can cut through a GN Field. However, the particle output rate required means that the super-condensation can only be performed for 30 seconds at a time. ;*Multi-Purpose Weapon Gauntlet :The gauntlets are mounted on both forearms and house the Duke's primary weapons. The GN Beam Swords are similar in power to a standard A-LAWS beam saber, and possess the same super-condensation ability as the GN Particle Beam Sword. The GN Beam Cannons are as powerful as the standard A-LAWS Beam Rifle, but possess a higher rate of fire. The cannons can also be charged for more powerful shots, as powerful as Cherudim's GN Sniper Rifle II. ;*GN Vulcan :Designed as a result of increasing reports from their ally Katharon regarding the A-LAWS use of military automatons to attack their enemies, the NZRC equipped the Duke with two GN Vulcan cannons. The Vulcans are housed in the shoulders and pop out when in use. Their high rate of fire makes them ideal for dealing with automatons and other small/'soft' targets, but their low power means they are largely ineffective against mobile suits. Special Equipment & Features ;*Power Core Boost System (PCBS) :As its GN Drive Tau is incapable of Trans-Am, the Duke utilizes another system to boost performance; the Power Core Boost System. On either side of the cockpit, the Duke houses two so called 'Power Cores'. These are essentially GN Condensers, except they contain the equivalent of 5 hours worth of GN particles in a super condensed state. When the Duke uses the PCBS, one of the Power Core racks extends out of the chest, one of the cores lifts up and then back into its usual position, dumping all of its particles at once. While active, the 'Burst Mode' causes the Duke to glow a reddish-orange hue, as a result of the massive amount of GN particles present. In Burst Mode, the Duke's weapons increase in power two fold, while its speed is equivalent to any of the Gundams in Trans-Am. The only weakness is that the Burst Mode only remains active for approximately a minute per core, limiting its effectiveness. To compensate for this, the Duke carries four cores, two on each side. Another problem is that the cores are vulnerable for the brief period it takes to activate the PCBS, giving an enemy the opportunity to hit them. If the cores are hit, the explosion which resulted would be sufficient to annihilate the Duke completely. ;*CAB (Communication Amplification Booster) Pike Launcher :The CAB (Communication Amplification Booster) Pike Launcher is primarily used to boost communications strength and range, mainly when GN particles are present, as they jam radar and communications systems. The CAB Pike Launcher can also be used as a point-blank surprise weapon, by firing any remaining pikes into an enemy mobile suit. ;*High-Output Auxiliary Back Thrusters :The auxiliary thrusters were designed to give the Duke a high speed dash capability for such tasks as infiltration. The thrusters are housed in the upper torso, on either side of the main thruster and extend when in use. Each is capable of twice the thrust of the main thruster, allowing the Duke to reach very high speeds. Picture Gallery Duke Gundam.jpg|NZRC-001 Duke Duke Gundam Equipment.jpg|NZRC-001 Duke Equipment